


Math Lessons with Zelos

by Kelette



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-17 20:21:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12373311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelette/pseuds/Kelette
Summary: Zelos is assigned to be the math instructor for the group and Genis isn't sure the idiot chosen is qualified. But Zelos might be more of a math nerd than he lets on.





	Math Lessons with Zelos

**Author's Note:**

> I randomly thought about Genis and Zelos bonding over mathematics and thought it would be fun to write (it was!). Everyone is welcome to leave constructive criticism!

Math lessons with Zelos. What a drag. Genis chewed on the insides of his cheek.

Zelos hadn’t even started the lesson yet. He was saying silly things to Colette and she politely laughed in response. Lloyd had already conked out headfirst onto his math book, drool soaking into the pages.

Genis glanced over to Raine, hoping that she would straighten things out. She wasn’t even paying attention. Instead she was talking to Presea, trying to convince her that she would benefit from lessons as well, giving a flutter of hope to Genis’ heart. But Presea staunchly refused. The refusal seemed odd to Genis --of course Presea was smart! Wouldn’t she like to expand her education? --but perhaps she could see what a Rheaird wreck the math lessons would be. Presea walked away. Raine tapped her fingers in irritation before noticing Sheena trying to sneak by. The assassin was surprisingly bad at stealth. Raine immediately ran after her, probably to convince Sheena that she was still young enough to benefit from continued education as well.

Genis continued to chew on his cheeks as his head drooped onto his book. Soon he might match Lloyd.

“Is this too difficult to keep up with?” Zelos asked.

Genis scowled. “Keep up with what? Your ridiculous attempts to flirt with Colette?”

Zelos’ irritated face was more unnerving than anything else the Tethe’alla Chosen would do. His smiles seemed real enough, but watching him try to maintain a grin while his cheek and eye twitched with annoyance ruined his facade. It made Genis think that the Chosen might choose to act like a goofy girl-crazy idiot, but the real Zelos was more complex than that.

It worried Genis that he couldn’t imagine how or why Zelos became the way he was. Colette also behaved like a goofy idiot chosen, but her behavior was genuine. Then again, she used the silly part of her nature to shield the serious, self-sacrificing half.

“The math lesson, Genis,” Zelos was saying. Colette now had her head down, furiously doodling on her math book to make herself look busy.

Genis realized he wasn’t paying attention to what Zelos was saying. “What?”

The irritation in Zelos’ face didn’t waver. He pointed to Genis book. “Just go through the book and tell me what parts you don’t understand.”

“I understand all of it,” Genis snapped at the idiot before him, because that’s what Zelos was. An idiot. He didn’t know why he bothered theorizing that Zelos might be smarter than he let on.

Zelos rested his chin in his hand. “Really? You mean to tell me that an eleven year old kid can calculate the fourth dimensional vectors of acceleration?”

Genis scowled. “Of course! I’m a mage,I have to make calculations like that it my head every time I cast a spell.”

“I’m a mage too, brat,” Zelos replied. “And I’ve seen your fireballs miss the enemy before.”

Genis went red. “That almost never happens!”

Zelos’ gazed out just above Genis shoulder, his eyes not focused on anything. “Do you just… round down every time to simplify the equations? That would explain the direction of the misses.”

Genis froze, his face growing redder. “I don’t round down every time! Just…”

“Just when the numbers get too unwieldy? You’re also failing to calculate the wind --you need to do that for certain elements. You could also improve accuracy by tracking the movements of your target.”

“Well sometimes they move at the last minute!” Genis said, pushing away from the table.

Zelos nodded. His expression was good natured again. “That’s true, there’s not much you can do about that. Well for starters, starting round up and down, all right? Balancing it out that way should halve the number of misses. Also, make sure to do lots of practice problems --and don’t do any rounding for those! You need to practice crunching the entire problem in your head, so that one day you can do it in the middle of battle. And --what?” Zelos stopped when he focused his gaze on Genis again.

Genis gaped at the Chosen. “Do you actually know what you’re talking about?”

Zelos crossed his arms. “I am a mage.”

Now that Genis thought about it, Zelos’ spells weren’t as strong as his, but they had always been oddly accurate. It was possible to aim a spell based on instinct and without math, but Genis didn’t have good battle instincts, so he always relied on the math. He just assumed that Zelos used instincts. 

Yet Zelos had just reversed engineered the fact that Genis round down when the numbers got hard in the middle of a battle. Genis could’ve been rounding up. 

“If you’re so good at this why don’t you know any higher level spells?” Genis asked. The complicated physics and math involved in the advanced spells meant Genis still had a way to go before he could learn them.

Zelos rolled his eyes, sliding forward on the table, elbows first. “I’m not an elf… or a half-elf. I’ll never develop the mana necessary to cast more advanced spells.” He stared at Genis with a frown. “If you complete these problems I can show you equations for more advanced spells.”

Genis almost bounced in excitement from the offer. Could Zelos help him work out the advanced spells? Then he recalled the way Zelos normally treated him. Was Tethe’alla’s Chosen offering a truce? “Will you stop insulting me?” Genis asked.

“A brat’s a brat,” Zelos responded, sitting upright again. “I’m just being nice because you’re the Professor’s younger brother.”

Genis deflated a little, but he noticed that Zelos wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Well, I have to solve these problems anyway or Raine will get mad at me, so I guess you’re stuck teaching me magical mathematics now.”

Zelos’ eyes sparkled with excitement and he looked genuinely happy for just a moment, even without a fake smile on his face.

Could it be? Did Zelos really love math? Was he just excited to have someone who could talk about mathematics on the same level?

Genis sighed as he returned to his workbook, his feet kicking the air. Now Genis had someone in the party he could talk to about casting physics and magic mathematics. Secretly, he might be a little excited too.

“Lloyd Irving, wake up!” Raine’s voice snapped, startling Genis.

“Huh? I’m awake, I’m awake!” Lloyd sat up, his eyes urgently searching for weaponized erasers.

Genis smiled and began to solve.

*  
Genis learned Dreaded Wave!


End file.
